Christmas is now less than THREE weeks away.  How the heck did that happen?

I’ve got a busy few weeks ahead of me, so it is important that I start December off with a fast start!  Afterall, I’ve got to buy, wrap, and ship my presents to my family on the East coast over the next few weeks, and I refuse to be in those long lines at the post office this year!

Holiday Activities

Speaking of post offices…. guess who finished sending her Christmas cards this weekend???  This girl!  So happy to have these cards in the mail and heading out to all my friends and family… watch your mailboxes, folks!  I’m an early bird this year…

Getting the Christmas cards done allowed me to check something off my December to-do list, but it didn’t help me get my shopping done.  I spent the majority of my weekend picking up little presents for my precious niece and nephew, and scouring the earth for the right gifts for the men in my life (meaning brothers and dads… why are they so hard to buy for??)

I thought that Barnes and Noble might have something for the guys, but no… it didn’t.  What it did have was their annual Book Drive.  I absolutely love this charitable opportunity.  If you haven’t seen it before, there are little book stands throughout the store with books for kids that you can purchase and donate.  I LOVE THIS.

They had pre-selected Dr. Seuss books (including my childhood favorite “The Foot Book”), “I Can Read” books, and young adult novels… and I bought a small stack to donate to kids in need.  I just can’t imagine not being able to read as a child.  I was a HUGE reader, afterall (Hello, Babysitters’ Club, Sweet Valley High, Nancy Drew) and it brought me such joy!  Still does actually…

After still not finding anything during Saturday’s efforts, I switched over to online shopping to finish up the rest of my gift buying.  The great news is that I am officially DONE shopping!  Now, just to wrap and ship all my goodies….

A Quick Vacation During this Holiday Season…

Because I like a good challenge when it comes to getting my holiday tasks completed, I’ve planned a trip out of town this upcoming weekend… but it’s not just any trip….

I’m heading back to Montelucia!

A few days in the desert is just what the doctor’s ordering… and usually by this time of the year, it’s super-cold in Denver and a warm getaway makes great sense.  Interestingly, it was in the upper 60s today… and we’ll be enjoying high 70s in Scottsdale next week.  Not too much of a difference, surprisingly.

I’m meeting my friend Donna at our favorite resort.  We’ve been friends for a million (or about nine) years… and we use this time to catch up on all that’s been going on.  Strangely, I don’t think I’ve seen her since our trip back in May!  Thursday is also Donna’s birthday, and spending a birthday at Montelucia is one of the best ideas ever.

We are actually going to change up our trip a little bit this month by spending Friday in Sedona.  Usually, we spend our entire time in Scottsdale right at Montelucia… but this time we’re heading out!  I’ve only been to Sedona as a child, but I remember it as being absolutely breathtaking.  It’s also a wonderfully earthy, spiritually powerful place… and I can’t wait to get there!  I read online last night that they have energy vortexes throughout the area… sign me up!

Getting through the next few days will prove to be tricky… as my mind is already sitting by the pool drinking tasty Vitamin C cocktails.  Power through… power through, I must!

Refusing to Get Overwhelmed

With only one more weekend in town before New Years… I made two very important decisions regarding this season:

1)  I am not putting up my tree this year.  I knoooooow, it was so cute last year, but I just don’t want to dedicate the time to getting it put up, nor the time to putting it away.

I know, I know… I am sounding VERY Scrooge-like, but considering that no one would likely see it but me, I decided against.  You’re thinking it sounds awful now, but wait until New Year’s Day when I don’t have to take it down…

2)  I’m going to forego weighing in at Jenny until the New Year – With Amalia leaving Jenny and a lot of other changes at my center… I am thinking I’d like to give the new consultants a chance to get settled in before they start having to counsel me.  (Doesn’t that sound nice of me?)  And, moreso, I’d like to take the stress of weight loss off during this holiday season….

My goal is going to be to MAINTAIN through this season, which will mean lots of extra workouts to offset holiday meals + working out while I am at Montelucia.  Maintaining is a steep goal, and I’ll be weighing in at home regularly to keep an eye on my progress.  I’ll kick back into full force weight loss mode in January, but until then…. MAINTAINING is what I’m looking for.

How are you doing preparing for the Holidays?  How is the holiday season impacting your weight loss strategy?  Also, have you been to Sedona, AZ?  Any recommendations?

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